Xiang Yu

Xiang Yu (232-202 BC) was King of Chu from 206 to 202 BC, succeeding Emperor Yi of Chu. He became a prominent warlord during the Eighteen Kingdoms period which followed the fall of the Qin, and he fought against the Han emperor Liu Bang during the Chu-Han Contention. After being defeated at the Battle of Gaixia, he committed suicide.

Biography
Xiang Yu was born in Suqian, Jiangsu in 232 BC, the grandson of Chu general Xiang Yan. He was raised by his uncle Xiang Liang, and, when he was young, he and his uncle spotted the procession of Emperor Qin Shi Huang; Xiang Yu said, "I can replace him," after which his uncle covered his mouth, but came to feel that his nephew would one day become a great leader. He and his uncle soon plotted to rebel against Qin and re-establish Chu, and his uncle was forced to calm him down as he grew impatient. In 209 BC, Xiang Lang started a rebellion with 8,000 troops, and he proclaimed himself Administrator of Kuaiji while making his nephew a general. Soon, the rebel army reached 70,000 troops, and Xiang Yu distinguished himself as a mighty warrior on the battlefield. Xiang Liang fell to Zhang Han at Dingtao in 208 BC, and Xiang Yu took over his army and defeated Zhang Han at the Battle of Julu in 207 BC. Zhang Han was forced to surrender to Xiang Yu alongside his 200,000 troops, so Xiang Yu decided to make him King of Yong, while he made Sima Xin King of Sai and Dong Yi King of Di. Meanwhile, Liu Bang forced the last Qin emperor Ziying to abdicate, ending the Qin and creating the Han. Xiang Yu was angry that Liu Bang rose to power instead of him, and he failed in his attempt to have him assassinated at Hong Gate. In 206 BC, Xiang Yu led his army into the capital of Xianyang and had Ziying and his family massacred and Epang Palace burned to the ground. He then returned home rather than continue his conquests as he had been advised to do, and he named himself "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" and divided the Qin into the Eighteen Kingdoms, relocating Liu Bang to Hanzhong. In 205 BC, Xiang Yu deposed his puppet ruler Emperor Yi of Chu, justifying Liu Bang's declaration of war on him. This led to the Chu-Han Contention, and Liu Bang's armies won several victories over Xiang Yu, culminating in the Battle of Gaixia in 202 BC. Xiang Yu was left with only 28 men after his last defeat, and he claimed that his loss was Heaven's will. He slit his own throat so that his friend Lu Matong could claim his head for Liu Bang's bounty, but his body was dismembered as Lu Matong and other Han soldiers fought to claim the body.